This article is part 3 of a 3 part series. Part one covered the very important area of psychology, and part two covered all things nutrition. Hopefully you should have nicely tied the first two parts together, and be ready to add the final piece to the puzzle.
When it comes to the training part of achieving your own transformation, this is the area that so many people underestimate. Too many people are of the mindset that simply lifting weights with your trainer or turning up once a week for your cardio session will get you a great result. Unfortunately they're very much mistaken if they think that is all there is to it.
The first thing to think about and most important in my opinion is mindset. You have to be willing to make training a priority in your life. Last week or last month saturday or sunday mornings may have been the time to catch up with friends over a coffee. On your body transformation journey you have to plan your week so that you are meeting your exercise targets. This may result in either a saturday or sunday morning being a weights session or a run depending on which stage of your transformation you are at. This will only happen when you commit to exercise being a priority in your life - which comes back to your mind set.
Many people want the result but not enough people embrace hard work, and serious effort. The second point is that it's simply not enough to just turn up to your sessions without the mentality that you are going to apply yourself 100% to the program - giving it your best effort in every session you do. The intensity of the sessions will vary depending on your fitness levels and how far along your journey you are but the effort should always be your best.
Your trainer has the plan for you and can inspire you - but the motivation must come from within - ask yourself why am I doing this? how important is it to me that I reach my body transformation goal? - If you depend 100% on your trainer for motivation you automatically have a reduced chance of getting a great result.
Is this something you can learn? Yes it is, and I think that the only way you'll ever learn is if you're in the environment of people who really do set exercise as a priority in their life. You will achieve a lot from having someone else take interest in your transformation and share your challenges with. Who is your workout buddy?
"In my opinion average results come from having an average mindset, excellence only comes from applying yourself in a way that most people won't."
So in order to develop this special mindset, find someone who has it and learn from them. Who in your studio inspires you? Which clients have achieved outstanding results? Find these people and ask them how they did it - success leaves clues. Take yourself away from the average surroundings that you find yourself in right now. Take yourself out of your comfort zone, because this is the only place where you will learn.
The third part in the training process, is to analyse your body transformation along the way. At Vision your trainer will take a regular photo of you from the front, side and back. Take these photos and analyse the progress you are making. This is a great way to encourage positive re-enforcement when you feel like its too hard.
The numbers on the scales are not always the best indictaion of how your body is changing. As you get closer to your ideal weight, girth measurements (chest waist and hips) are perhaps a better way to observe your progress aswell as the photo's being taken along the way.
Set weekly goals that are achievable and make little steps week to week that take you closer to your desired outcome. Over time as your fitness improves you can incrementally increase the frequency and intensity of the training.
Always keep the end in mind and use this as your motivation to keep training - especially the morning's when your feeling flat!
So there you have it the 3 most important topics (Psychology, Nutrition & Training) to focus on to ensure you get a great result. Hope you found these articles helpful. Plenty more to come.
James Clare BSc Nutrition - Mona Vale Manager
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
